Thinking of putting this carbon wheelset on my Rise, am I crazy?

beholdtheflesh

New Member
Jun 6, 2022
20
22
Denver, CO, US
A year ago I bought the Reynolds Blacklabel 309/289 limited edition for a much lower price than MSRP (I got it from somebody close to the company who didn't need them) and put them on my lightweight downcountry bike (Specialized Epic EVO).

Here is a link to the wheels: Limited Edition Blacklabel 309/289r

The other day I walked up to my bikes and realized that the blue hubs would look great on my gray/blue H15 rise.

This wheelset weighs 1540g - it's carbon with 24 spokes in front and 28 in rear.

I ride some gnarly terrain, and so far the wheels have held up no problem on my Epic EVO.

So I had the crazy thought of putting them on my Rise...but I am of course concerned that such a lightweight wheelset would get destroyed.

In my research, I discovered that Pivot actually specs these wheels on their Trail 429 enduro build: Trail 429 so that's a vote of confidence, no?

If you were me, would you banish this thought, or would you send it??

reynolds wheel.png
 

Shjay

Well-known member
Apr 30, 2019
835
488
Kent
I am running old light bicycle carbon rims on my Rise think they are 27mm internal. Rims weigh 400g but are 32 hole
If your not a heavy rider & quite smooth the. Why not, the 24h front would be my only concern although CX ray v good spokes & always wondered what those hubs were like, I like Hayes Forks & Brakes
 

beholdtheflesh

New Member
Jun 6, 2022
20
22
Denver, CO, US
Well, never mind. I emailed Hayes asking them if this wheelset is suitable for e-bike use, and they said NO:

These are not certified for e-bike use..

Currently only our TRE wheelset is suitable for e-bike.
 

Another One

Active member
Feb 28, 2022
335
280
London / Wakefield
I am glad they saved your rims I can’t see past Strong Trail or Enduro wheels on an E Bike. I think the weight would of been too much and possibly end up with them failing.
 

DaveW2

Member
Dec 16, 2021
23
16
Calgary
I would use them. The extra weight of the Rise is insignificant compared to the variation in rider's weights. Extra torque from the motor is small compared to the torque from braking hard. So if they work for you on your other bike they should work on the Rise. I have 7 years on Light Bicycle carbon rims, riding rocky trails.
 
Dec 18, 2019
108
48
UK
Blimey, not only do we have range anxiety with e-bikes, we now have weight worries too.
Take a lightish, analogue, All Mountain/Enduro bike like the SC Hightower/Megatower running around 14-15kg's and then look at their e-bike equivalents at 24-25kg's, that's a 10kg difference.
Now lets take a look at two riders on the same size bikes, but one's a skinny and the other's a big unit. Their weight difference will be well in excess of 10kg's, but say it is 10kg between them? With the heavier rider on the analogue and the lighter rider on the e-bike, it would make no difference if both riders rode with the same wheels, so what's the real issue here?
It comes down to having a suitable wheel-set that can cope with the individual all up weight of each bike and rider and that comes down to personal choice and quality of wheel build. The better the quality of the build, the greater attention to achieving the finest tolerances in a wheel build and the quality of all the individual components that make a wheel perform, then within a reasonable margin, you can run a relatively light wheel-set on your bike. The only caveat you really need to be aware of with e-bikes is having a hub that can take on the torque loads. Again, it's likely a powerful pro rider can easily apply as much torque as an e-bike motor, but not for a sustained period of time.
Whilst on the subject of wheel weight, we're now being encouraged to put heavier tyres on our wheels, with stiffer side walls, in order to run lower pressures, improve grip and handling, whilst giving greater pinch puncture resistance. Take a look at the weights of these heavier tyres and then cross compare them with keeping your lighter tyres on and running an insert. If you do, you'll find the latter option will give you a lighter wheel-set, so why buy those expensive weightier tyres?
Lastly, i'm going to recommend a really good wheel builder for all your cycling needs. Contact Luke @ Pacenti Cycles and let him know what your needs are and he'll build you some of the best wheels... period. I'm not after any credit for giving him a plug, but if you mention you contacted him on Madmountainman's recommendation, he'll be chuffed to know i'm putting the word out.
 
Last edited:

djcmmoore

Member
Feb 2, 2022
4
3
Nashville, TN
You are not crazy, it will make your bike so much better. I tool my Roval SL wheels off my epic and put them on my Levo SL, totally different bike. Cut 3 lbs and so much faster and easier to handle. Best upgrade ever.
 

R2thek

Member
Apr 10, 2022
78
24
Colorado
You are not crazy, it will make your bike so much better. I tool my Roval SL wheels off my epic and put them on my Levo SL, totally different bike. Cut 3 lbs and so much faster and easier to handle. Best upgrade ever.
Those are super light. I had them on my ibis. I was thinking of "wheel science" wheels. The Builder said that they wouldn’t be an issue and the weight with dt240 is about 1350. Just haven’t decided yet.
 

beholdtheflesh

New Member
Jun 6, 2022
20
22
Denver, CO, US
Interesting diversity of opinions here.

I know these can stand up to some abuse...since I rode them on my Epic EVO pretty fast on some gnarly tracks.

But what makes me concerned is the hubs (I already destroyed a hub once on the Rise due to too much torque combined with the cheap stock no-name hub). These carbon wheels/hubs are not cheap.

And also, I ride some serious gnarly terrain here in Colorado, hitting big sharp rocks at high speed. I bent a stock specialized alloy rim pretty easily when I put it on my Rise as a backup (not enough to destroy it, just wobble).
 

eztiger

Member
Apr 9, 2019
30
19
Guildford
I swapped out the heavy wheels on my rise m20 for dt swiss carbon xmc 1501, which made a massive immediate difference. I'm not the lightest being 6 foot plus and like to cane it, over 15 months later and they still look like new.
 

2WheelsNot4

E*POWAH Master
Oct 17, 2021
893
692
Scotland
Now lets take a look at two riders on the same size bikes, but one's a skinny and the other's a big unit. Their weight difference will be well in excess of 10kg's, but say it is 10kg between them? With the heavier rider on the analogue and the lighter rider on the e-bike, it would make no difference if both riders rode with the same wheels, so what's the real issue here?
Logic.
Put the heavier rider on the eebike. suitable then ?. No, so such a comparison can only be made on paper, as its not taking into account real world statistics.
 

R2thek

Member
Apr 10, 2022
78
24
Colorado
Interesting diversity of opinions here.

I know these can stand up to some abuse...since I rode them on my Epic EVO pretty fast on some gnarly tracks.

But what makes me concerned is the hubs (I already destroyed a hub once on the Rise due to too much torque combined with the cheap stock no-name hub). These carbon wheels/hubs are not cheap.

And also, I ride some serious gnarly terrain here in Colorado, hitting big sharp rocks at high speed. I bent a stock specialized alloy rim pretty easily when I put it on my Rise as a backup (not enough to destroy it, just wobble).
The builder at "wheel science" did recommend against the cheaper Novatec but said the dt Swiss 350 or 240 would be ok.
 

cookie70

Active member
Mar 23, 2022
200
148
Central Coast, Australia
why not try them, worse case is you bend or break them and put back on the OEM wheels

the mavic wheels that came on my M10 have been surprisingly robust, think they are only 28hole. I'm used to running ex511 on all my bikes
 
Dec 18, 2019
108
48
UK
why not try them, worse case is you bend or break them and put back on the OEM wheels

the mavic wheels that came on my M10 have been surprisingly robust, think they are only 28hole. I'm used to running ex511 on all my bikes


Thanks for your input on the Mavic wheels, are they the E-Deemax? I've got two sets waiting to go on my next bike, but he Loam Wolf tested them on a Mondraker recently and weren't overly impressed.
 

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